Method for manufacturing knit hat

ABSTRACT

A method for manufacturing knit hats includes primarily adding a textile fiber (more than 50%) and a polyurethane elastic fiber into a same feeder of knitting machine (flat knitting machine) to weave into a yarn which forms a hat felt that is larger than a preset size. Next, the hat felt is heated and steamed by vapor or other heat sources at 50° C.-80° C. for 1-15 seconds, so as to shrink it to the preset size. Finally, the knit hat is formed by sewing and finishing. According to the aforementioned method, as the knit hat is added with the polyurethane elastic fiber, it can be quickly shrunk to be shaped after being blown and steamed through the vapor or other heat sources; therefore the knit hat formed can have a larger flexibility in the range of sizes to meet the requirements of users with different head circumferences.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation-In-Part of currently pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/857,015 filed on Jun. 1, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing knit hats, and more particularly to a method to make a knit hat by forming a hat felt which can be stretched along four directions, from a textile fiber and a polyurethane elastic fiber, and then shrinking the hat felt to a preset size through blowing and steaming. Thus the hat has a good softness and a larger range of elasticity for being applied to users with various head circumferences.

(b) Description of the Prior Art

Generally sun hats are made of various kinds of clothes. Such kinds of hats don't have unique texture. Moreover, there are sewing lines which spoil the look of the hats. Only hats made by knitting have no sewing lines. However, traditional knit hats (such as the wool hats) have no elasticity due to their loose structures, so that each style needs to have various sizes in order to match the needs of users with various head circumferences because each size is corresponding to a fixed circumference. The size of hat may not totally match user's need thus may raise uncomfortable feelings or bad outlook.

Furthermore, the conventional hats may shrink after being washed. Thus the hats originally just fit on users' heads may become too small to wear. Or the hats may loose or fray after being worn a period of time, the beauty is spoiled and causes bad feeling in the visual sense.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing knit hats. First, a textile fiber (more than 50%) is knitted with a polyurethane elastic fiber (less than 50%) in a knitting machine (flat knitting machine) to form a yarn for spinning. Then the yarn is woven into a hat felt that is larger than the preset size (can achieve two times of the preset size, maximally). Next, the hat felt is heated and steamed by vapor or other hot sources at 50° C.-80° C. for 1-15 seconds, so as to make it shrink to the required size and finally is sewing and finished. According to the aforementioned method, as the knit hat is weaved into the larger hat felt by knitting the textile fiber (artificial fiber, wool, or cotton) with the polyurethane elastic fiber, and then by blowing and steaming through other heat sources to shrink to the present size, the knit hat formed is shaped in advance, so as to improve a beauty of the hat style, and is provided with a larger flexibility in the range of sizes (is stretchable along four directions), to match users with various head circumferences.

To enable a further understanding of the said objectives and the technological methods of the invention herein, the brief description of the drawings below is followed by the detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram of a method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a hat felt of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of performing a steaming process to a hat felt of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a knit hat of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A method for manufacturing knit hats in accordance with the present invention is composed of following stages:

(a) Adding more than 50% of a textile fiber (1 a) and a polyurethane elastic fiber (1 b) of remaining percentage into a same feeder of knitting machine to weave (1) into a yarn.

(b) Weaving (1) the yarn (using the percentages as the aforementioned textile fiber 1 a and polyurethane elastic fiber 1 b) into a hat felt (2) with a larger size than the preset size, as shown in FIG. 2.

(c) Blowing and heating the hat felt (2) with vapor or other hot sources at 50° C.-80° C. for 1-15 seconds (the time of blowing and heating is dependent upon an amount of polyurethane elastic fiber to be used, a preset degree of shrinking, and temperature, and a mold tool or a card board in a hat shape can be placed in an interior of the hat felt during blowing and heating to assure the size and shape after shrinking), so as to make it shrink into the desired size, as shown in FIG. 3.

(d) Sewing and finishing the shrunk hat felt (2) to form a knit hat (3), as shown in FIG. 4.

In accordance with the aforementioned method, in weaving into the hat felt (2), the hat felt (2) is first weaved into the size which is larger than the preset size. As the yarn which is used to weave into the hat felt (2) includes the polyurethane elastic fiber (1 b), the hat felt (2) can be quickly shrunk to about the same size of specification, after carrying out blowing and steaming with the high temperature vapor or other heat sources. After that, the knit hat (3) is made by the final sewing or finishing.

As the knit hat (3) includes a part of the polyurethane elastic fiber (1 b), it will have the elasticity after being weaved into the hat felt (2) and followed by blowing and steaming. Therefore, the knit hat (3) formed is provided with a soft texture as the conventional knit hat (wool hat), and has a better effect of shaping and larger flexibility in the range of sizes (is stretchable along the four directions), so as to match users with various head circumferences, and ensure the most comfortable fit for users while wearing hats, thereby improving the shortcoming of traditional knit hats.

Moreover, the knit hat (3) made from the textile fiber (1 a) and the polyurethane elastic fiber (1 b) is provided with a better elasticity, and is shrunk to be shaped through the blowing and steaming by the hot vapor in advance, therefore it will not be shrunk often after being washed, and can still be enlarged while being worn on user's head, thereby bringing users with comfortable feelings.

Due to the polyurethane elastic fiber (1 b) inside the knit hat (3), the loosing of the knit hat (3) after being used for a period of time can be avoided by stretching the entire knit hat (3) from the elasticity, and the fiber of the hat can still keep compact and flat. Thus the appearance of the knit hat (3) won't be spoiled.

In addition, the textile fiber (1 a) can be an artificial fiber, wool or cotton. These are suitable material for selection.

The knit hat (3) can be designed with various styles in order to meet the requirement of consumers, and the knit hats (3) with various styles made by the aforementioned method have the same effect as mentioned above.

It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described herein is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. 

1. A method for manufacturing knit hats comprising: (a) adding a textile fiber (more than 50%) and a polyurethane elastic fiber (less than 50%) into a same feeder of knitting machine to weave into a yarn; (b) weaving the yarn into a hat felt with a larger size than the preset size; (c) blowing and steaming the hat felt with vapor or other hot sources at 50° C.-80° C. for 1-15 seconds, so as to make it shrink into the desired size; (d) sewing and finishing the shrunk hat felt to form a knit hat.
 2. The method for manufacturing knit hats as claimed in claim 1, wherein the textile fiber is an artificial fiber.
 3. The method for manufacturing knit hats as claimed in claim 1, wherein the textile fiber is wool.
 4. The method for manufacturing knit hats as claimed in claim 1, wherein the textile fiber is cotton. 